SwellCycle's Delivers Board to Surf Legend Kai Lenny
Big-wave charger, foil pioneer, SUP champion: Kai Lenny has spent his career redefining what's possible on the water. Now he's bringing that same restless curiosity to how boards get made in the first place.
Santa Cruz-based SwellCycle recently announced that Lenny collaborated directly on one of the company's designs, then took the finished board out for a test surf. The board was brought to life using SwellCycle's plant-based 3D-printing process, an approach that swaps the traditional foam blank and fiberglass for a hollow, compostable structure printed layer by layer from bioplastic filament.
In an email update announcing the milestone, SwellCycle wrote:
"We're honored to have brought one of Kai Lenny's own designs to life through our plant-based 3D-printed technology. Kai is one of the most decorated watermen in the world, big waves, foil, SUP, you name it, and someone who has always pushed the boundaries of what's possible in the ocean. Having him collaborate with us on a design and test our technology is a milestone we don't take lightly."
Why This Collaboration Matters
SwellCycle, founded by Patricio Guerrero, has built its reputation on turning recycled and plant-based materials into high-performance surfboards using custom-built 3D printers. Instead of carving away material from a foam blank, the process lays down only what's needed, cutting down on the waste that has long dogged the surfboard industry.
Getting a rider of Lenny's caliber to design and test a board is a significant vote of confidence. Lenny is known for pushing equipment to its limits at spots like Jaws and Mavericks, and for constantly experimenting with new shapes and technology across disciplines. A design bearing his input, printed and ridden, is as much a stress test for SwellCycle's manufacturing process as it is a new board for Lenny's quiver.
Kai's First Impressions
Lenny shared his own reaction to the board on Instagram after testing it out. "The spring was something I wasn't expecting," he said. "It feels awesome, it felt really comfortable, really strong which I really like that and I'm looking forward to riding it and keeping it in my truck for a while."
The flex he's describing, often called "spring" in surfboard talk, is one of the more unexpected qualities to come out of SwellCycle's printed, hollow construction. Coming from a rider who tests equipment across nearly every discipline in the water, that kind of reaction really makes waves.
If you are interested in trying out one of SwellCycle’s boards, join them on August 15 at Waddell Beach at 9am for their Iconoclast Board Demo.
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